CCP
The Centrist Conservative Party is an Ostentian political party. Party Statement The CCP's position sometimes confuses those who like to apply left and right labels to political ideologies. Free trade is considered to be right-wing while drug legalisation is left-wing. Cutting tax is right-wing but defending civil liberties and gay rights is left-wing. However, all of these positions share the common principle of decreasing the role of government. They differ from "left-wing" people who often want the government to control the economy but not our social lives, and also from "right-wing" people who want the government to control our social lives but not the economy. Our philosophy is broadly described as libertarian or classical liberalism, although those are not necessarily precise labels. Libertarianism, for example, can be based on two very different philosophical starting points. Some libertarians believe that free markets and individual freedom should be preferred because they are more moral political systems. Such people argue that it is immoral to take money from people by force and to tell people how to live their lives. The other philosophical position is utilitarianism. Utilitarian libertarians believe that a small government will lead to better outcomes than a big government. Such people argue that libertarian solutions will lead to greater wealth, less poverty, more diversity and will generally make people happier. The first philosophical position is concerned with process, while the second is concerned with outcomes. In reality, most libertarians (and most people) care about both. Acceptance by libertarians of the rights of individuals to pursue their activities, subject to non-coercion of others, does not indicate endorsement of those activities. Principlies Economic Principles - Free markets and freedom of choice - Low tax, limited public spending and minimal regulation - Widespread ownership of private property Social Principles - Civil society and volunteerism - Civil liberties and individual freedom - Individual liberty and personal responsibility under the rule of law Government Principles - Constitutional liberal democracy - Ethical and impartial government under the rule of law - Devolution of power including decentralised government and competitive federalism International Principles - Free trade in goods, services and capital - Free trade in ideas and culture - Freedom and human rights Policies The following policies are in alphabetical order, and do not nessesarily reflect the importance to the CCP. Assisted Suicide (Voluntary Euthanasia) The CCP is committed to legislation to allow all adult Ostentians of sound mind the right to assisted suicide provided there are appropriate safety mechanisms to ensure consent is freely and rationally given. It also supports the free speech right to provide those who may wish to end their lives the information they require to do so. Civil Liberties and Individual Freedom The CCP supports individuals' ownership of themselves and their right to pursue their own lifestyles, make their own decisions and engage in their own hobbies and interests as long as they do not directly harm other people or their property. However, with freedom comes responsibility. The CCP believes that individuals should also take responsibility for their own decisions in life. Competitive Federalism The CCP supports competitive federalism as it was intended by the founders of the constitution. Where possible, government activities should be decentralised to the State level to allow the benefits of governmental competition, policy experimentation and individual choice. This will also allow the removal of bureaucratic duplication of federal and state agencies. Democracy The CCP believes in a constitutional democracy. The CCP supports citizens initiated referendums, fixed parliamentary terms, the option of recall elections, constitutional protection of private property and sunset clauses on legislation. These reforms represent a tangible step forward in promoting both liberty and democracy in Ostentia. Deregulate and Privatise The CCP supports the privatisation policies of previous governments. We believe this process should continue and support an immediate end to state and federal ownership of the rail services. The CCP also supports a new round of regulation reforms, focused on assessing all regulations for their impacts on productivity and economic welfare. Energy The CCP does not believe in either subsidising or unfairly taxing any particular source of energy. Energy is a vital element of any economy and the CCP recognises the valuable contribution the energy sector makes to the Ostentian economy. The CCP would not restrict nuclear energy or uranium mining in Ostentia. Environment The CCP values the natural environment within the context of a prosperous society that provides equal protection under the law and is based on respect for individual freedom, personal responsibility, small government and the defence of private property. We recognise that societies in which government is smaller rather than bigger have produced better environmental quality and a better and fairer outcome for all members of society, including the poor. Firearms The CCP supports the right to own firearms for sport, hunting, collecting and self defence. Free Trade The CCP supports the free international trade in goods, services and capital. Global Warming The CCP acknowledges that there is scientific evidence to suggest a trend towards global warming and the possibility that humans may be partly responsible. However, it does not consider governments have the competence to address the problem and looks to market responses instead. Health The CCP proposes to wrest back from government and return to consumers control of individual health care choices. It seeks to rescue people from a situation in which they are dependent on decisions by government to one in which they are able to make decisions for themselves and to provide for themselves. By cutting back the proportion of health care funded directly by government and re-aligning incentives, enormous savings can be made by reducing the waste and excessive costs of a public system. At the same time, relaxation of regulatory controls will allow new organisations providing health services to emerge that will help to limit costs while improving quality. Immigration The CCP supports immigration and believes immigrants generally provide a net social and economic benefit to Ostentia. It supports expanding opportunities to live and work in Ostentia while carefully guarding opportunities to receive welfare or become full citizens. The CCP also supports “free immigration agreements” with appropriate countries. Labour Market Regulation The CCP supports a free market in labour and opposes excessive labour market regulation and the minimum wage. The CCP would replace the minimum wage with a negative income tax to support low-income earners. Lifestyle Choices Adults must be free to make their own decisions without interference by the government or requiring its approval. Adults are not like children and do not need anyone to make their choices for them. They can choose where to live, which job to take, where to go on holiday and what to do with their money, and live with the consequences. Similarly, they can choose their particular lifestyle including such things as how to live, whether to live alone or with others and who to live with. Nuclear Power There is a longstanding perception that nuclear power plants are expensive and dangerous with the potential for accidents and leaks outweighing the potential benefits they could provide. There are also concerns about what to do with nuclear waste products such as spent fuel rods. Whether or not these concerns were once valid, they are certainly not valid now. Advances in the design of nuclear power plants mean that they are now safe and produce quite small quantities of waste. Moreover, waste can now be safely stored indefinitely. Property Rights The CCP believes that people have the right to own and control private property and that the only legitimate way to deal with each other is through voluntary exchange. It believes that maintaining the safety and security of the Ostentian people and their property must be the government’s first priority. School Education The CCP believes that school funding and regulation should be decentralised and devolved to the state level. At the state level the CCP supports the introduction of school vouchers to allow greater competition between schools and greater parental choice. Taxation The CCP believes we need significant cuts in income tax. Traffic Laws The CCP believes traffic laws should strike a better balance between safety and the need for efficient travel over long distances. The balance is currently determined by public servants, whereas it should be a matter for the community. Victimless Crimes The CCP does not generally support the criminalisation of victimless crimes. Wherever possible it will seek to reduce the intrusion of government into these areas. The CCP supports a shift in security resources away from victimless crimes (seatbelts, bicycle helmets, drugs) and towards preventing physical and property crimes such as assault, rape and theft. Welfare Economic growth has led to all Ostentians (including the poor) getting richer and more money going to charity. Consequently there is less and less need for our large and expensive welfare system. The CCP supports the replacement of all current welfare programs with a comprehensive negative income tax that provides a basic standard of living and some assistance to the working poor.